Author: Liam Otten

Influential collector Komal Shah discusses “Making Their Mark.” Currently on view at WashU’s Kemper Art Museum, the exhibition places work by renowned figures such as Howardena Pindell, Joan Mitchell and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith in dialogue with contemporary practitioners such as Katharina Grosse, Lorna Simpson, Sarah Sze and Mary Weatherford.

Robert E. Hegel, in Arts & Sciences, has won the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize from the Modern Language Association of America for his translation of “The Heroic Adventures of Qin Shubao,” from “Forgotten Tales of the Sui” by Chinese dramatist and writer Yuan Yuling (1599–1674).

In his new book “Look Out: The Delight and Danger of Taking the Long View,” WashU’s Edward McPherson explores the human desire for “big picture” perspectives — and how such perspectives cultivate both awe and arrogance.

WashU’s Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences will present “Silent Sky,” which explores the life and work of celebrated astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre Nov. 20-23.

“Something is Happening,” the 2025 WashU Dance Theatre performance, will take place Nov. 14-16 in Edison Theatre. The evening-length concert will feature original works by visiting choreographers Ron K. Brown and Xi Zhao, by faculty choreographers Elinor Harrison and David Marchant, and by graduate student Liz Lloyd.

Aki Ishida has been named the Sam and Marilyn Fox Professor in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. A lecture and reception to celebrate her appointment were held Sept. 25 in Steinberg Hall.

A mysterious plant revives a Skid Row flower shop. But with success come gruesome appetites. Welcome to “Little Shop of Horrors.” WashU’s Performing Arts Department will present the celebrated musical in Edison Theatre Oct. 24 to Nov. 2.

Global (Un)Conference 2, a meeting of the Urban Humanities Network, will take place around St. Louis Oct. 16-18. Featuring both academic and public-facing events, the conference is hosted by WashU’s “Engaged City” initiative, a Mellon-funded project that highlights the city’s cultural legacy.

Provost Mark D. West has appointed a 15-member search committee to identify candidates for the position of dean of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.

Lana Lin’s “The Autobiography of H. Lan Thao Lam” has been longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award for nonfiction. The book is published by Dorothy, an independent publishing project co-founded by WashU’s Danielle Dutton and Martin Riker.